conduct

Pakistan have begun an inquiry into “discipline and conduct” in the latest twist on a turbulent tour of England.

Already 2-0 down in the three-match Test series, Pakistan last week sent seven players home, called up seven more and replaced head coach Sarfaraz Ahmed with New Zealander Mike Hesson.

During the second Test at Lord’s, the tourists also threatened to cancel the remainder of the match and the tour over an interview broadcast by Sky with the imprisoned former Pakistan prime minister and captain Imran Khan.

In a statement released on Monday morning, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said: “The Pakistan Cricket Board has initiated an internal disciplinary inquiry following media reports concerning discipline and conduct, which are currently being reviewed internally.

“The PCB handles such matters in accordance with its standard procedures. The process is being conducted under PCB regulations, ensuring that all concerned individuals are given due consideration.”

The statement refers to “speculative reports” from “hostile external sources”.

Last week, Hesson responded to reports Salman Ali Agha – one of the seven dropped players – refused to attend a meeting with King Charles at Clarence House.

Hesson also refuted suggestions that Mohammad Imran and Mohammad Imran Jr were both called up as replacements because the PCB was confused by their names.

The statement continued: “At this stage, any speculative reports or unverified claims circulating on certain platforms, particularly those originating from hostile external sources, should not be regarded as credible.

“The PCB will not comment further at this time. The Board advises stakeholders and the public to rely on official PCB communications.”

WASHINGTON — The House voted Tuesday to censure Rep. Chuck Edwards (R-N.C.) following a House Ethics Committee investigation that concluded he engaged in persistent unprofessional and inappropriate conduct toward two young female staffers in his office.

A censure registers the House’s deep disapproval of a lawmaker’s conduct that does not meet the threshold for expulsion from office.

The 413-2 vote was just the latest instance of the House grappling with revelations about lawmakers’ behavior toward female staffers, a trend that prompted House leaders to launch a bipartisan review this year focused on making Capitol Hill a safer job environment for women.

Rep. Michael Guest, the chairman of the House Ethics Committee, said the Edwards case did not involve what he called “quid pro quo sexual harassment,” but rather conduct and behavior that created a hostile work environment.

“While Representative Edwards denies that his conduct was intended to be sexual or romantic, his pattern of behavior would lead a reasonable person to interpret it as such,” Guest said.

Guest said that behavior included providing the aides with lavish gifts, making comments about their appearance and dress, sending notes regarding his affection and inviting them to intimate dinners and vacations. He also said Edwards was aware that the women were uncomfortable with his behavior.

Edwards apologized to the two women, who are no longer on his staff, for actions that put them in an uncomfortable position. He said his intentions were “only grounded in what I understood our friendship to be” and said he admired them. He also apologized to his wife and family, saying they carried a burden they did not create or deserve.

But he also forcefully rejected the committee’s most damaging conclusions and the recommendation that he be censured. He emphasized that the investigative report itself concluded there was no evidence he engaged in sexual activity or explicitly propositioned any staff member.

“I am imperfect. I have made mistakes, but I do not believe I committed sexual harassment,” Edwards said on the House floor. “The factual findings of this investigation do not justify branding me as though I did.”

Edwards was one of the two lawmakers who voted against the resolution. The other was Rep. Ralph Norman (R-S.C.).

Edwards told reporters after the vote that he had expected the result would not go his way. House Speaker Mike Johnson sat with Edwards for a few minutes before the vote and told him how he thought it would go.

“It would not have been politically expedient for anyone to vote against a resolution accusing someone of sexual harassment,” Edwards said.

Edwards stood in the well of the House as the censure resolution was read. When he left the chamber, he remained highly critical of the Ethics Committee’s findings and at one point said the investigation was “very much akin to a Russian show trial.”

Edwards becomes the 29th member in the history of the House to be censured. He was asked about that distinction after the vote and said he lived a terrific life before he got into politics.

“I look forward to getting my life back,” Edwards said.

Edwards is serving his second term in Congress representing a district in western North Carolina. He chose not to seek reelection after the committee issued its report.

Edwards is the latest in a line of ethics cases this Congress

Earlier this year, Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell and Republican Rep. Tony Gonzales faced calls for their expulsion before they stepped down.

And last month, the Ethics Committee announced it was reviewing allegations that Rep. Jimmy Gomez (D-Calif.) may have engaged in inappropriate sexual contact with a House staffer. He said he would cooperate with the investigation but his actions were consensual in nature and didn’t violate the law or House Ethics rules. He also apologized to his family and constituents.

House members are prohibited from engaging in sexual harassment or making unwanted advances toward their subordinates. The Ethics Committee said that despite the absence of an explicit proposition, a reasonable person could interpret Edwards’ “intimate and effusive attentions, where he prioritized the personal over the professional, as thinly veiled advances.”

Rep. Mark DeSaulnier, the committee’s ranking Democratic member, said the investigation spanned more than four months and included interviews of 16 people and a review of nearly 1,500 pages of documents.

He said Edwards provided the two women with jewelry, designer purses, shoes and flowers and commented on their appearance. He also sent deeply personal letters and even skipped a vote series to decorate a Christmas tree at the home of one of the staffers.

“These are not innocuous, isolated instances,” DeSaulnier said. “They are part of a sustained, unprofessional and inappropriate conduct by Representative Edwards toward two young women he employed.”

Rep. Teresa Leger Fernandez (D-N.M.) said Edwards’ behavior was “outlandish and disturbing.”

“If we don’t take action today, there is no opportunity for these women to receive justice,” Leger Fernandez said.

Freking writes for the Associated Press.

Sept. 1 (UPI) — The House of Representatives on Tuesday voted to censure Rep. Chuck Edwards, R-N.C., over allegations of misconduct toward two female staff members.

The House voted 412-2 in favor of the punishment. Edwards’ “highly unprofessional” behavior toward two staff members — one 19 years old and another in her 20s – led to a House Ethics Committee investigation earlier this year.

In early August, the committee recommended Edwards’ censure, saying there was substantial evidence that he violated prohibitions on sexual harassment. The congressman dropped his re-election bid a few days later.

Censure does not remove a lawmaker from the House, so Edwards will finish out his term. The committee recommendation to formally censure a representative was the first since 2010.

The committee’s report said Edwards “engaged in persistent unprofessional and inappropriate conduct towards two young female staffers.”

“While Representative Edwards denied that any of his conduct was intended as a sexual or romantic advance, his pattern of behavior would lead a reasonable observer to interpret it as such,” the report said. “… Both women were uncomfortable with his behavior (which they attempt to communicate) but were put in an untenable position by virtue of his status as their boss and a member of Congress.”

Before the vote, Edwards apologized for his actions but denied he ever sexually harassed them.

“Regret is not an admission of sexual harassment,” he said, CNN reported. “I am imperfect. I have made mistakes, but I do not believe I committed sexual harassment.”

The only “no” votes were from Edwards and Rep. Ralph Norman,R-S.C.

The report said that Edwards gave the two staff members lavish gifts, including jewelry and handguns, and frequently commented on their appearance and clothing. He also invited them to intimate dinners and vacations and sent them notes about his “effusive affection.”

Edwards wrote poems to one of the staffers, one of which he read at her going-away party, at which he cried. Other staff members also testified it made them feel uncomfortable.

Aug. 21 (UPI) — Ecuador’s Defense Ministry said it is conducting joint military operations with the U.S. Southern Command against drug cartels near the border with Colombia.

The operations are concentrated primarily in the coastal province of Esmeraldas, which has been plagued by killings, kidnappings and extortion by drug trafficking groups that use Pacific ports to ship drugs to the United States and Europe.

Ecuadorian Defense Minister Gian Carlo Loffredo confirmed the arrival of three Black Hawk helicopters and two U.S. warships at the port of Manta as part of an effort to triple maritime patrol capabilities against drug-running boats.

“We are going to triple our interdiction capabilities in the maritime zone,” Loffredo said in a video posted on X with military-style music playing in the background.

The operations come after the Ecuadorian government issued a decree this week allowing U.S. military personnel to remain in Ecuador for up to 180 days without visas and granting them exemptions from immigration requirements, local broadcaster Teleamazonas reported.

The operations are part of the “Shield of the Americas” alliance, a U.S.-led coalition of about 20 Latin American and Caribbean countries aimed at combating drug trafficking.

U.S. Southern Command personnel have been operating in Esmeraldas for some time, provincial Gov. Juan Jaramillo told local reporters.

Jaramillo did not say when U.S. personnel were deployed, how many are participating in the operations or how long they will remain in the province.

The governor said U.S. military personnel have conducted intelligence operations alongside the Ecuadorian Navy and will focus primarily on San Lorenzo and Eloy Alfaro, areas affected by drug trafficking and illegal mining, La FM reported.

Jaramillo also highlighted Colombia’s participation in the security operations, saying police and armed forces from both countries are sharing intelligence, information and operational targets.

The governor linked the cooperation to Colombia’s new political landscape after Abelardo de la Espriella’s inauguration as president of the neighboring country.

Washington and Quito have conducted joint operations for months targeting criminal groups in Ecuador as the country struggles with a wave of violence.

Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa has pursued a tough-on-crime strategy since taking office in 2023. However, the country’s homicide rate has remained high, reaching a record 52 killings per 100,000 people last year.